


Sunset

by reeby10



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dragons, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Picnics, Post-Canon, Romanian Dragon Reserve, Storms, Sunsets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-11
Updated: 2015-10-11
Packaged: 2018-04-22 18:33:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4845950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reeby10/pseuds/reeby10
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Charlie invites Draco to watch the sunset with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sunset

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gracerene](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gracerene/gifts).



> Originally posted [here](http://hp-drizzle.livejournal.com/41283.html) for [HP Drizzle](http://hp-drizzle.livejournal.com/).
> 
> Inspired by the beautiful [artwork](http://hp-drizzle.livejournal.com/41557.html) for the same prompt :) Thanks to biffelderberry for the beta!

Draco had never had a lot of interest in magical creatures, but at the time the dragon reserve in Romania had seemed like his best option. After the war, things had been a mess, and he’d quickly realized that he couldn’t stay in England much longer. Unfortunately there weren’t a whole lot of options left for a former dark wizard, even one who the great Harry Potter had personally vouched for in front of the Wizengamot.

So he’d ended up at the dragon reserve, mostly doing paperwork and checking the spells used on the fences and collars. It put him right in the middle of everything going on at the reserve and let him meet everyone there at least once.

One of the first people he met was Charlie Weasley.

At first, Draco tried to stay far away from the older wizard. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Charlie or didn’t want to get to know him, but their families had never really gotten along. Draco was honestly tired of of feuding. He didn’t want to start something anew, especially so far from England and when he didn’t quite fit in yet. Better to just stay away and not risk it.

Charlie, on the other hand, seemed to have a completely different idea. He smiled, bright and almost unfairly handsome, every time he saw Draco and made sure to ask how Draco was doing. It wasn’t like Draco could be rude and ignore him, so bit by bit they started to really talk and get to know one another.

Soon they were having dinner together any time Charlie wasn’t out in the field with the dragons. It was comfortable, fun even, which surprised Draco greatly. When he’d come here, he hadn’t thought he would have a friend, especially not a Weasley. But things had changed, and in this, at least, he was glad of it.

Then one day Charlie flipped their relationship on it’s head.

“Hey, Draco, you have a minute?” Charlie asked, poking his head into the office where Draco usually worked.

Draco looked up, feeling a smile tug at the corner of his mouth at the sight of his friend. “I suppose I could spare a minute,” he said, putting aside the parchments he’d been looking at. They would keep for awhile yet, and he needed a break.

Charlie smiled back at him, that happy, open smile that always made Draco feel warm when it was turned on him. He didn’t come in and sit like he usually did when he came to chat, just stood in front of Draco’s desk, shifting a little on his feet.

“Something wrong?” Draco asked after a moment of silence, eyebrows drawn together. Charlie looked almost nervous, a strange look on the normally confident man, and Draco couldn’t think why he would be. They’d known each other long enough now that they should have gotten past that point.

“No, nothing like that,” Charlie said, rubbing a hand at the hair at the back of his neck. He didn’t say anything for a moment longer, and Draco began to worry again. “I just wondered… would you like to go watch the sunset with me tonight?”

Draco froze, blinking rapidly as he stared at the red head in shock. That didn’t sound like just some friendly thing, especially with how nervous Charlie had been about asking. “Are you asking me out, Weasley?” he asked, not sure if he was going for teasing but probably coming out a little breathless anyway.

”And if I am?”

“Then…” Draco started, feeling the words stick in his throat as his heart pounded a little too fast. A date with Charlie? He’d be a fool to say no, and he really, _really_ didn’t want to. He smiled. “Then I’d love to.”

***

Draco spent the rest of the day trying very hard not to panic. He hadn’t been on a date since being at school, and this was with a Weasley no less! The real kicker, though, was that he really wanted this date to go well. He _liked_ Charlie, even more than he’d realized just that morning.

Apparently it had taken actually being asked on a date for the idea to really kick in, but now that was all he could think about. Charlie was gorgeous and kind and funny and sweet and… He was basically perfect in ways Draco never would have seen before being forced to relocate to the arse end of the wizarding world and take up dragon keeping. And for some mysterious reason Charlie wanted to go out with him.

It wasn’t that Draco didn’t think he was attractive enough for the attention, he knew for a fact that he was. It was just that he also knew he could be petty and mean and overly dramatic and there was that whole thing about their families feuding. But that hadn’t stopped their friendship, so he supposed it really shouldn’t stop this, whatever it might end up being.

In the early evening, not long before Draco usually went to dinner at the mess hall, it started to rain. Draco found himself glued to the window in his office, looking out at the dampening fields, lit every once in awhile by flashes of lightning. They’d been expecting a storm to roll in soon, but he really wished it hadn’t been now when he had plans with Charlie.

A knock on the door broke him from his reverie and he turned to see Charlie coming in, more than a little damp but still smiling. He had a closed basket in one hand, and Draco almost couldn’t hold back his immediate curiosity about what it could be.

“Are you ready?” Charlie asked, brushing his dripping bangs out of his face.

“But it’s storming,” Draco replied, frowning, all thoughts of the basket gone from his mind. He’d been expecting Charlie to stop by and ask to postpone, but it had never crossed his mind that they would still go.

Charlie shrugged, seemingly unperturbed. “That’s the best time to watch the sunset anyway,” he said. “The rain helps the atmosphere, you know?”

Draco wasn’t really convinced but he nodded anyway. “If you say so. I think I’ll cast a keep-dry charm anyway, if you don’t mind.”

“Aw, you’re no fun,” Charlie said with an over enthusiastic wink. He pulled out his wand and in a second he was dry, no longer dripping all over the carpet. With another wave, that too was dry. “Better?”

“Better,” Draco replied drily. He waved his own wand and felt the magic that would keep him dry in the rain wash over him. “Shall we?”

They walked out across the fields as thunder rumbled overhead, hands brushing slightly with every step. Draco felt overheated despite the cool air brought on by the summer storm, and tried to ignore the desire to reach out and hold Charlie’s hand. He wasn’t sure they were quite at that stage yet, but he hoped they would be soon.

Charlie led them to a slight rise, a little ways off from the closest patch of forest, where they would have an unobstructed line of sight for the sunset. He conjured two plush green cushions when they arrived and set the basket in front of them.

“Sit, sit,” Charlie urged, taking his own seat on one of the cushions. “I brought along a picnic, I hope you don’t mind. I thought it would be nice to eat while we watched the sunset.”

“Of course not,” Draco said with a small smile. “That sounds lovely.”

Charlie passed out the delicious smelling food and Draco was surprised to see it looked homemade, not something that could have been picked up at the mess hall. Draco felt an almost embarrassing rush of affection for the other man’s sweetness. He’d really thought of everything for this date.

They tucked in immediately, talking and laughing as they ate. The food was just as delicious as it looked, though Draco wasn’t really surprised by that. Charlie had proven again and again that he was skilled at pretty much anything. Why should cooking be any different?

Draco was licking the last crumbs from his fingers when Charlie bumped his shoulder. He looked up, wondering what had brought that on, and stopped short.

In front of them, the sun was setting just behind the distant mountains. From the vantage point of their little hill, it seemed to take up the entire sky, painting everything before them in vibrant shades of blue and purple with hints of red and orange playing around the edges. A dragon flew in front of them in the distance, swooping around as it played in the rain and low hanging clouds.

It was all absolutely beautiful.

“Wow,” Draco breathed out without even realizing he’d spoken. He felt a warm hand take his, fingers interlocking, and he looked over to see Charlie smiling at him.

“Thank you for coming,” Charlie said, voice soft. He looked happier, more content, than Draco had ever seen him, and it warmed something in Draco’s heart to realize that he was part of the reason for it.

“I’m glad I came,” Draco replied, equally softly. The environment seemed to be asking for quiet to just enjoy the moment, and neither of them wanted to disturb that. “It’s wonderful.”

He couldn’t think of anything more to say, anything that could truly explain how happy he was to be right there with Charlie, rain and all, so he didn’t say anything more. Draco just leaned over, brushing his lips over the older man’s in a soft, lingering kiss that made butterflies flutter madly in his stomach. He smiled.

“Thank you for sharing this with me.”

**Author's Note:**

> Concrit welcome. If you like my fic, come chat with me [on tumblr](http://voldiebuns.tumblr.com/) or maybe [buy me a coffee](http://ko-fi.com/A7274PC).


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